Project ONE Life: Just the Beginning!

*** I create blank books and leave them in public places.  Strangers find them, share their feelings/thoughts, and leave them for others to find.  Connecting strangers, stripping artifice away, and becoming ONE.  Follow the journey on Facebook ***

Project ONE Life is picking up steam and leaving books along the way.  The journey is just beginning and we have a long way to go but so far, it as been a blast.  Each book is left in a public place and has a theme.  I get a small rush of placing down a book and taking pictures, unnoticed.  And when I walk away, I wonder.... where will this book end up, who will read my writing, and will I see it again.  I feel anxious, giddy, and optimistic. 

So far, seven books have made it out into the world and with many more to come.  Plans are in the works to go national as well.  So... keep your eyes open and follow the journey on facebook so YOU can track down one of these one of a kind books! 

Here's a look at the books on the go so far...



Something I Never Told Anyone...
 




Before I Die I Want To...



 

 



It Might Not Be P.C But...



 

 



At This Point in My Life I Thought I'd Be...



PROJECT ONE LIFE: The First Book

Today I dropped the first Project ONE Life journal off into the world.  When I last saw it, it was sitting in a packed cafe in Chicago (Filter Cafe).  With Project ONE Life, I am asking others to open up and share.  I wouldn't ask someone to do something I wouldn't do myself. So in keeping with the idea of Read, Share, Pass it On, I wrote the first entry in the book.  I placed it down, snapped a few pictures, and walked away - leaving a piece of myself for anyone to view.  I wondered if I would ever see it again. 




I am a journal maker and believer in the healing power of words so it seemed like a natural progression to extend what I do in my everyday journal to the rest of the world.  Each book is special and made 100% with LOVE.  From cutting each sheet of paper and book board, stitching the pages together, and creating a mixed media collage cover, I put every ounce of myself into each book.  I do this all in the hope that this project will bring people together and create a safe place to express themselves. 

So this is the look at the first book... and if you see it out there, put your stamp on it, take a pic, and leave it for another to find.  Read, Share, Pass It On.



The first entry for the "Today I'm feeling" Journal



Follow the Journey at www.facebook.com/projectonelifeshareit

Project ONE LIFE: Share It.

The idea behind Project ONE Life: Share It is simple.  I create blank books each with a varying theme such as "a dream you want to achieve" and I leave them in various public places throughout Chicago. Then, the book lies in wait for someone to find it, and respond annonymously to the prompt.  After doing so that person leaves the book in another spot for someone else to find it and the cycle repeats until the book is filled.  The process is: find it, read it, share in it, and pass it on.  I also ask people who find the book (regardless if they write in it or not) to take a quick pic of it in it's location and post it to facebook or email it to me so that we can follow it's journey.  Once a book is complete, the finder contacts me so it can be returned home and I can share the contents with the world.  Click here for the Guidelines.

The Inspiration behind Project ONE Life: Share It. is based upon the belief that there is power in putting your feelings/thoughts down on paper and a belief that it is our feelings that bind us together as human beings. In sharing our ideas, loves, joy, and sorrows we become connected on a larger scale - you are not alone.

Project ONE Life strives to connect strangers together on a small, local scale. As books travel through the city and people share a piece of themselves for others to see, we are reminded that the strangers you pass on the street, the person who makes your coffee, the person waiting behind you in line, are just like us. The feelings and thoughts we experience on a daily basis are universal. So this project attempts to expose those similiarities. To pull back the  cleverly crafted barriers that often serve to isolate us from one another (cell phones, emails, false pleasantries,   social media, etc). The goal is to strip away artifice, to be open, to share, to feel connected. To be ONE.

Lastly, this project requires a leap of faith. Faith that people WILL share, will want to connect and most importantly that these mini books WILL find their way back home. 

Read more about the books and
Follow the Journey on Facebook!

FRESH GOODIES: Custom Travel Journals

Guess what everyone?  There have been some new developments recently at Celio Designs.  We are now the sponsors of some really cool travel groups on Meetup.com.  These groups are made up of people who travel the world together, visiting far off destinations.  And what of course does every globe trekker need but a new journal of course!  Enter Celio Designs! Ha Ha.

So in March, the group is going to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.  Right away I began working on three different journals that members could choose from.  Each journal is handbound and features blue footed boobies, tortoises, and seals.  It's really cool to know our Celio Designs journals will play a role in capturing the sights, sounds, and memories of a once in a lifetime trip! 

FRESH GOODIES: New Style, New Stitch, New Size



Japanese Stab Binding

Celio Designs is branching out!!  Up until now all of our books were bound with a very lovely coptic stitch.  However, a time comes when you want to try something new.  Learning new stitches has been on my "to do" list for about...mmm, forever!  So I finally buckled down and have been working on some new books.  These not only have a new stitch, the Japanese Stab binding, but they are also a different size and style as well. 


These newer books are about 5.5"x6.5" and don't have a trace of the collage style artwork that I have come to love.  While I adore the collage style and will continue to make those types of journals, I also know that many people prefer a simplified, clean look.  I am happy to oblige.  To be honest, it is pretty exciting because now I get to use paper and fabric in a whole new way.  Though the newer books ARE simplified, they definitely AREN'T boring!!  I am looking for paper and fabric that is graphically striking and bold.  So here are the very first two of the trial run of the new style.  ... and keep your eyes open because I will be learning more stitches as I go along.   

MUSINGS: The Beauty of Creative Risks

Risks.   We’re always faced with risks, personally and creatively.   No matter what the situation is when you take a risk there may also be an underlying fear.  There is fear to be uncomfortable, vulnerable, or simply not being accepted.  It’s the same when you create something from your soul. It requires you to be vulnerable...to take a risk. To stand naked and hope for acceptance and understanding...and with art many times we are asking to be judged. How terrifying!

Now, of course I can make a journal that requires very little thought...very little of myself and of course...very little risk. That also involves very little satisfaction. Of course, I cannot cater to everyone, so when I set out to make something, I make it for myself. I make things that I find beautiful, inspiring, and that speak to me... and as a result, when I create something I give a piece of myself  (Of course this has a dual benefit, if it doesn't sell...it's something I will use myself!).  For the most part, when you create something you are putting a sliver of yourself on display for the world to see. And if you are selling said item you are asking for another to judge its worth.

The same is true for custom made journals.  In creating a custom book, I try to put together the perfect quotes, images, etc, all to reflect the recipients’ beliefs, values and ideals.  A custom journal is suppose to completely reflect the owner, but I realized, while that is my aim, I am imprinted on every page of the book. What I put in...or leave out, where I place things, the materials used, the construction, the way I conceive the book and therefore that person...is all on me. It is through my lens; MY PERCEPTIONS.   No matter what is created you are offering yourself. You’re vulnerable.

Sometimes that vulnerability causes me to hold back.  It’s like lifting a veil to offer a sneak peek and so you have to decide, what should they see?  Like staring unflinchingly into a camera lens or into the eyes of another without looking away and asking the viewer to look in...to see YOU. I try to push those thoughts back when I am working and to create only for myself.  In the end that is when it is most satisfying... the pieces that I am most proud of are the ones that reflect me in some way… the ones in which I lifted the veil and beckoned the viewer to look in.  Maybe they will see a part of themselves as well; it will speak to them. If there is recognition, a connection, however small, is made. And when that happens and I have to ship a journal off.... there is a small tug inside. I send it off and think, "I wonder where you will end up?" ...I take that sliver of myself and send it off into the universe...and in that, there is vulnerability. There is risk. There is satisfaction. There is beauty.

MY JOURNALING ADVENTURES: A timeline

Sometimes you have to look back to where you've been to appreciate where you are.  In a recent urge to declutter my life, I have been sifting through old letters, cards, and yes, journals.  

I pulled them out and lost myself in them for hours.  Lost myself in the girl I was and where I used to be.  Parts were embarrassing, parts were hilarious, parts were sad, and some parts were simply lovely.  And as I went through each book, I saw an evolution. The evolution of who I am as a person... and as a creative spirit.
           

My first journal is about 10 years old.  A simple book I bought from the now defunct Borders bookstore.  The binding is kinda busted and pages are falling out.  It's decorated in a simple and straightforward way.  Some artwork, tons of quotes, LOTS of writing. 

My current journal is a handmade Celio Designs journal.  It's handbound with a coptic stitch and  features rich imagery on the front.  Like the first one, it has some artwork, tons of quotes, and LOTS of writing.  

That was then.

This is now.

What a difference. I laugh at my old one, like the crude writing of a child first learning how to hold a pencil and applaud myself for my advancements. It's fun to see the difference and wonder what my journal will look like in the next ten years...We shall see!!

CHALLANGES: Literary Moments & A Leap of Faith

          So I was perusing the recent issue of Somerset Studio, a paper crafting and mixed media magazine, and learned that their next issue was going to be focusing on Literary Moments.  Basically, they wanted artists to be inspired by moments in great pieces of literature and create something that reflected that moment.  I was sooooo excited when I read that.  It seemed like the perfect theme for Celio Designs. 

          I have always wanted to submit a journal to a magazine but to be honest all those nagging doubts have always raised their ugly head and held me back.  Literary moments was just the theme I needed to give me that extra push.  I knew that getting published would be nice but it was more important to make the submission.  I didn't worry about the end result so much.  If it didn't get published this time I could always improve and try again...and of course you will never get published if you don't actually take the chance.  So, pushing those fears down I decided, with book board, paper, and gesso in hand, to dive right in and take a leap of faith. 

           On a high of excitement, inspiration, and courage I made not only one but two journals to submit.  The first was a no brainer for me.  I simply chose my favorite book, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and immersed myself in her beautiful, haunting, and dark world.  For the moment, I chose the scene after Catherine's death where a tormented Heathcliff is crying out for his beloved to haunt him.  I worked with watercolor crayons, embossing powder, stamps, acrylic paints, and gesso to create a dark, sad, and wild atmosphere.  I also heavily layered the gesso on the front and back to symbolize the moors.

          For my second submission I made a mini journal based off of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire.  I was inspired by the scene in which Mitch forces Blanche under the "naked" light bulb... unmasking her mental and physical fragility.  To complete the look I took strips of pretty, feminine paper and ripped and singed them....layering them on top of one another to symbolize Blanche's tattered layers coming undone.  I also incorporated a image of a woman with lines running over her face and finally an additional image in which she is forced into the light and finally does crack.  I also included a sheet of music to reference the music she is always hearing in the book.  On the back cover I wanted to illustrate Blanche's decaying world.  I used a photo I took on a trip and distressed it a bit.

         
          Overall, I loved making these two pieces...and to be honest being published would be thrilling but I'm actually just so proud that I put myself on the line.  When you create something and ask someone to judge it... you make yourself vulnerable.  But all you can do is continue to create, send it out into the world and hope it's received well.   Fingers crossed!